Dispensing machines, in particular vending machines have become a popular and convenient method to sell a range of commercial products. For example, vending machines are commonly used to dispense items such as snack foods (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,348, U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,736), drink products (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,838, U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,930), perishable food items such as sandwiches (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,436), hot meals (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,093, U.S. Pat. No. 7,137,529), flowers (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,501) and multi-media based products (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,830,160).
Dispensing machines are generally located in areas of high pedestrian or vehicular traffic such as schools, shopping centers, commuter terminals and gas stations. In providing convenient access to a product, the dispensing device must be both robust, and dependable.
Many of the vending machines currently in use comprise an array of helical feeder coils arranged with axes perpendicular to the front display area of the vending machine. The helical coil is configured to rotate upon selection of an item, thereby urging the item forward, generally towards a dispensing chute. Once pushed into the dispensing chute, the item generally slides or falls into a dispensing bin at the front of the machine, allowing the consumer access to the item.
Other vending machines, particularly machines designed to dispense carbonated beverage and glass containers rely on ramps and the ability of the item to roll or slide, in order to dispense the product. In general, ramp-based machines retain the product in a storage configuration until a consumer selects the item. Upon selection, the machine releases the product, directing it to a dispensing bin using a series of ramps, thereby preventing excessive agitation of the product, as well as product damage.
While well suited for smaller dimensioned products, the helical feeder and ramp configurations of vending machine are not well suited for larger container formats. Helical feeder vending machines require motors to rotate the coils, while ramp-based configurations require a considerable amount of extra space for the ramp assembly. The overall complexity of vending machines currently being used leads to frequent breakdowns, resulting in an inconvenience to the consumer. In addition, given the larger weight associated with larger container formats, they should not be dispensed in any manner that would allow the container to fall an appreciable distance. Using conventional vending machine technology to dispense, for example, 4 L water containers would likely result in damage to both the product, as well as the vending machine.
With an increasing shift towards automated transactions, dispensing machines will continue to increase in popularity. Products packaged in larger format containers, such as motor oil, water and windshield washer fluid are currently not compatible with traditional dispensing machine technology.